Parties, concerts, hoopla’s done: Game on!

Isador Rodriguez (left) and his son Jakob Rodriguez, 14, take pictures after picking up their Super Bowl 50 tickets from the Stub Hub Fan Fair at Great America in Santa Clara, Calif., on Saturday, Feb. 6 2016

Photo: Brittany Murphy, The Chronicle

After three years of planning and almost as much second-guessing, the Bay Area is finally ready for some football.

The anticipation and debate that come with hosting a million visitors for Super Bowl 50 — and the goal-line pileup of traffic and security, politics and protest, and naked commercialism — have run their course. Game day is set to settle the score.

More than 70,000 fans are expected to descend Sunday on Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, with thousands more attending events nearby. The affair will test not only the Bay Area’s ability to accommodate the grandest party in sports, with its red-carpet tailgates, Coldplay halftime show and ubiquitous Bud Light promos, but to keep its poise before a worldwide audience of at least 100 million television viewers.

“We’re optimistic that everything will go smoothly,” said Nathan Ballard, spokesman for the Super Bowl 50 Host Committee. “We’ve been thinking about the thorny questions for a couple years now. We believe we’re prepared.”

Kickoff for the NFL’s title matchup between the Carolina Panthers and Denver Broncos is 3:30 p.m.

Lafayette resident Sonali Perera, 37, whose sister graced her with a last-minute ticket — the cheapest of which were selling late in the week for more than $2,500 online — understands she’s in for quite a ride, literally and figuratively. Her plan is to catch an early BART train from the East Bay to San Francisco, then hail a taxi or Lyft to the Presidio, then take a charter bus the remaining 45 miles to Santa Clara.

Traffic ‘to be crazy’

“We have no idea how traffic is going to be, but I’m assuming it’s going to be crazy,” said Perera, an executive at a job-services startup. “We’re just giving ourselves time.”

Levi’s Stadium — still haunted by its reputation for plucking the 49ers from the city to the suburbs two years ago — also retains the disadvantages that come with distance: no direct freeway access, scattered parking and limited public transit.

Parties, concerts, hoopla’s done: Game on!

1of2Super Bowl City, which S.F. set up along the Embarcadero, was the site of concerts and fan events leading up to the big game.Photo: Michael Short, Special To The Chronicle

2of2Jessie Martinez (right) assists fans as they pick up their Super Bowl 50 tickets from the Stub Hub Fan Fair at Great America in Santa Clara, Calif., on Saturday, Feb. 6 2016Photo: Brittany Murphy, The Chronicle

But Super Bowl officials hope to avoid the congestion notorious at 49ers games by running hundreds of private buses, restricting light-rail trains to ticket holders and establishing a security perimeter that keeps away all but attendees.

For those not going to the game but wishing safe passage to a nearby buffalo-wings-and-seven-layer-dip Super Bowl bash in a crowded living room, organizers say road conditions aren’t likely to be much worse than during other big weekend events that have visited the stadium, like the Taylor Swift concert or WrestleMania.

Huge security presence

Planning for the unforeseen is a bit tougher. The FBI and the Department of Homeland Security, which have designated the game a “Level 1” event to underscore the potential for terrorist plotting, have brought a security apparatus unlike anything the Bay Area has ever seen.

Just as the pregame festivities last week in San Francisco boasted hundreds of highly visible police officers with AR-15s, as well as less conspicuous crews monitoring with hidden surveillance, the Super Bowl will be tightly guarded — and U.S. Air Force F-15 Eagles will keep watch over the skies.

No credible threats have emerged so far, officials said.

Instead, protesters drawn to the Super Bowl spotlight have been about the biggest challenge for law enforcement agencies. Demonstrations against police killings targeted a San Francisco mayor busy hosting events, and rallies against income inequality sought to expose a Bay Area where tech riches are driving the cost of living up and the less fortunate out.

San Francisco police thwarted an attempt to establish a “Homeless Super Bowl City” to parody the official Super Bowl City, the elaborate exhibition of the NFL and its corporate sponsors.

Tensions also climbed over the nearly $5 million bill that San Francisco expects to foot for hosting the pregame events — for added police, transit and other municipal services. Mayor Ed Lee defended the expense as a worthy investment, saying it will pay for itself through a bump in tax revenue.

For Sean Haleen, a Hatha yoga instructor who teaches at several San Francisco studios, the ruckus and the ever-present traffic over the past several days has been a little much.

“My job entails going all over the city, all times of the day,” he said. “I try to coordinate my schedule to avoid the traffic, but this week that was going to be impossible.”

On Friday, Haleen flew to Vancouver to get away.

“I like to be a bit hyperbolic and tell my friends I’m not just leaving the city, I’m leaving the country, even though it’s just Canada,” he said.

Some have left town while trying to cash in on Airbnb or Craigslist, renting their home, apartment or tiny bedroom to visiting football fans. One person offered his car to sleep in for $300 a night. Another advertised an air mattress in a living room for $900.

Getting a bit lost in all the hullabaloo has been the fact that the big game is being played not in San Francisco but in Silicon Valley — where Santa Clara Mayor Jamie Matthews said he’s ready.

John Sill (left) picks up his Super Bowl 50 tickets from Lisa DeRosa at the Stub Hub Fan Fair at Great America in Santa Clara, Calif., on Saturday, Feb. 6 2016

Photo: Brittany Murphy, The Chronicle

“I’m excited about showing off the city, the South Bay and our entire region,” he said. “I think people will be surprised just how beautiful Silicon Valley really is and that it’s not just this amorphous place.”

Matthews plans to make an honorary appearance Sunday at Levi’s Stadium to shake a few hands, but after that he’s headed home.

Whether you’re a sports fan or not, it’s all about football in the Bay Area Sunday.

Here’s a few things to keep in mind to make the most of the day.

1. Game time is 3:30 p.m.

The game at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara is being televised on CBS and streamed on CBSSports.com, with pregame coverage beginning at 11 a.m. Lady Gaga will sing the national anthem shortly before kickoff.

2. If you want a last-minute ticket, prepare to pay big.

Most Super Bowl tickets are allotted to the teams and NFL affiliates well in advance, and those offered to the general public are long gone by now. Third-party sellers like StubHub were offering tickets late in the week with a starting price around $3,000.

3. You can’t go to the stadium and just hang out.

The Department of Homeland Security is running the show and organizers have set up a security perimeter to keep all but ticket holders far from the action.

4. Super Bowl City won’t be open

for the game.

The NFL fan village next to San Francisco’s Embarcadero closes at 3 p.m. Sunday. Those wanting to take in the football displays and corporate exhibits one last time need to do it early. The last musical act is the Glide Ensemble, scheduled to perform on the City Stage at 2 p.m.

5. The weather is going to be great.

The National Weather Service is calling for sunny skies over Silicon Valley with highs in the low- to mid-70s on Sunday. In fact, most of the week will be nice.

6. Expect traffic.

Organizers say freeways may be congested, particularly in the South Bay before and after the game. Local transit agencies, including BART, Caltrain and the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, have added service or special connections to accommodate those going to Levi’s Stadium and help get cars off the road. For information, go to 511.org/superbowl50.

7. Don’t drive drunk.

There are plenty of options for getting home after one too many drinks Sunday. AAA’s Tipsy Tow program provides free 10-mile tows. (Call (800) 222-4357 and say, “I need a Tipsy Tow.”) Taxis and ride-hailing apps are another option. Uber is the only ride-service company with complete access to Levi’s Stadium, having paid the NFL for the right.

8. Traffic backups may continue Monday, especially around airports.

With an estimated 1 million people in town for the game, Monday will see a mass exodus from the Bay Area. Airport officials advise allowing extra time if you’re flying out.

9. The gold Super Bowl 50 statues will come down soon.

Organizers will begin taking down banners, ads and other NFL memorabilia around the Bay Area, including at Super Bowl City, on Sunday. They expect to have things cleared within days.

Kurtis Alexander is a general assignment reporter for The San Francisco Chronicle, frequently writing about water, wildfire, climate and the American West. His recent work has focused on the impacts of drought, the widening rural-urban divide and state and federal environmental policy.

Before joining the Chronicle, Alexander worked as a freelance writer and as a staff reporter for several media organizations, including The Fresno Bee and Bay Area News Group, writing about government, politics and the environment.